Remote control device



NOV. 13, 1934. |l BALL 1,980,172

REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE Filed Nv. 28, 1932 mruulllrzlnllllllll.

ZZ INVENT R ATTORNYEY Patented Nov. 13, 1934 'l rUNITED STAT-ES .XPATEN T OFFlCE v1,980,172 REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE -Il'ving- Ball, Elizabeth, N. J.' Application November 28,1932,k Serial No.`6`14,744

1 Claim. (Guaso-40).

This V,invention relates, generally, to kremote 'Fig. 4is a plan-view with parts brokenaway controlfdevices; and the invention has reference, of that portion of the control device located at more particularly, to a novel, simply constructed the remote control end'ofthe apparatus.` remotef'control device for operating theltuning Fig-'5 is an enlarged partsectional view-taken '1 VIl dial of aradioreceiver ata distance from the resubstantially along line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and 50 ceiver and 'for'operating other apparatus'from a '.Fig.r6 is1a'fragmentary schematic lView illusdistance. i trating the application of the remote control de- Remote control devices heretofore employed vice of this invention for operating furnace for operating'the tuning dials of radios and for dampers.

Y 10 otheruseshave been ofmore or' less complicated Similar characters voi reference are employed 265 nature, rendering the sameV expensive to manuin all of the above described views to indicate corfacture,\with the result that such devices have rresponding parts. 1 4never become popular. Furthermore, yowing to -Referringnow to Figs, 1 to 5 of said drawing, the complexity of such devices heretofore used, the lreference numeral 1 designates atypical radio 1I the same are apt to get out oforder in use,vre receiver'fhaving a tuning dial 2 which is illus- 70 sulting in frequent repairsand adjustments, trate'cl as operatedfby th'enovel remote control thereby detracting from the utilityof such devices. device of the present invention. This remote The principal object of thepresent invention is control device is designated as afwhole by the refto provide a novel remoteA vcontrol vdevice forv erence numeral 3. 'Control device3 comprises a `20 operating the tuning shafts of radio receivers casing 4having a semi-cylindrical upper portion from a distance. as 'wellasfor operating other and-a tapered lower portionl The upper portion apparatus, r'the said device being of extremely `of casing 4'is provided with a cylindrical recess simple construction and entirely mechanical in 5-extending inwardly frorn'the front face of this its nature, the same employing cables working casing,which recess has asheave Gturnable there- 2l only undertension for transmitting'the desired Within. I A operating forces. f Sheave 6 is illustrated as threaded upon a re- Another object ofthe present invention lies duced extension `9 formed on the hub 7 of ay in the provision of a novel remote 'control device tuning knob8, which tuning knob is adapted to of theabove character employing sheaves over bemounted upon the'tuningdial shaft or con- '.30 which the power transmission cablesrun, one of denser shaft 10 of the radio receiver set. A set S5 said sheaves being located at the radio tuning screwll is illustrated as employed-to secure-the shaft or other shaft to be turned and the other hub'l and knob-Supon the shaft l0. The shaft of said sheaves being located at the desiredrelO-eXtends rearwardly through acircular aper mote point of control. ture provided in the rear -of casing 4 and on `Sli Still another object of the present invention intothe interior of receiving set l. A collar V12 90 is to provide a remote Vcontrol device of the above is `illustrated as xed upon condenser shaft 10 character which is of sturdy, strong construction, adjacent the rearl surface of the casing 4 by dependable in use zand may be manufactured in means of a 4set screw 13. Collar 12 cooperates large quantities at lowcost, the same being easil with? the hub 7 of knob 8 toretain the casing 40 and quickly installed in use. 4. in desired position'upon the tuning condenser =9.5

Other objects of this invention, not at this time shaftlO. more particularly enumerated, will be clearly un- I sheave 6 is provided with two annular grooves derstood from the following detailed description 1`6'an-d 17 forrespectively receiving cables 14 and of the same. 15,".The endlportion ofcable 14 projects inwardvi5 The invention iS Clearly illustrated in the acly throughla small radial -aperture provided in 100 companying drawing, in which: the sheave 6 and is secured to this sheave by Fig. l is a perspectiveview with parts broken means of aset screw lB-that is threadedinto a away showing the .novel remote control device of transverse aperture Iprovided in theY sheave 6, the present 1I1VI11011 GmDlOYed f01 Operating the which transverse aperture communicates with the 5,0 tuning shaft of a radio receiver. radialaperturev` through which the end portion 105i Fig.,2 is a view in elevation with'parts broken of the cable extends, as especially shown in Fig. away of that portion of the control devicelocated 3. Likewise, the end portion of cable 15 pro,-` at'the tuning shaftsof the radio, receiver. jects inwardly through a small radial aperture Fig. Sis a part sectionalview taken substanprovided inthe-sheave 6 and is secured to this :55 tially'along line33 of -Flg2. e sheave bymeansy of a set screw19-that is threadlo Cates with the radial aperture through which the end portion of the cable extends. Cable 14 is wrapped for a number of turns about the sheave 6 and extends from this sheave through a bore provided in the tapered portion of casing 4, which bore communicates with the hollow interior of a coiled wire conduit 21Lforming a part of a cable conduit 22. Likewise, cable 15 is Wrapped for a number of turns about the Sheave 6 and extends from this Sheave through' a bore 23 provided in the tapered portion of casing 4, which bore communicates withthe hollow interior of a coiled wire conduit f 24 forming a part of the cable conduit 22. fjThe `end portion of cable 15 is wrappedlabout the sheave 6 in the opposite direction to the wrapping of cable 14 about this sheave. The end of cable conduit 22 is attached to casing 4 by suitable clamping means such as the clamp ring 45 hav- ,ing ascrew 46 threaded therethrough and engaging a projection 47 Aof the casing 4.

Coiled wire conduits 21 and 24 serve as conductors for the cables 14 `and l5 and permit longitudinal movement of these cables through vthe cable conduit 22. l The cable conduit 22 may be of any reasonableA length desired and extends to the desired remote point of control, at which point is locatedy a casing 25 which is somewhat similar in construction to that of casing 4. The end portion of cable 22 adjacent the casing 25 is illustrated asextending into and is secured within a tube 26 which is slidingly mounted within and projects outwardly ,fromfa lcylindrical recess 27 provided in the casing 25.

In order to provide forr expansion and conf traction of the cable conduit 22 and itscoiled pression coil spring 28. Thus, spring 28 byf-urging the tube 26 outwardly serves to` retain the cables 14 and 15 taut at all times within the conduit 22. Tube 26 is illustrated as provided With a longitudinal slotl 29 therein for receivingA the inner end portion of a set screw 30, which set screw by contacting with thev ends of i slot `29 serves to limit movement of tube 2 6 with respect to the casing 25.y

Cables 4`14vand 15 extend through inclined-bores 31 and 32, respectively, provided in the casing 25 and are wound in opposite directions upon a Sheave 33 turnably mounted within ra cylindrical pocket 34 provided in the casing 25. A bearing pin or screw 35 extends through a central aperture provided in the sheave 33 and is threaded at 36 into the casing 25. Cable 14 is wrapped within an annular groove 37 provided in the periphery of sheave 33, whereas cable 15 is wrapped within an annular groove 38 provided in the periphery of the Sheave. The end portions of cables 14 and 15 are secured to sheave 33 by set screws 39 and 40 in the sameY manner that the other end portions of these cables" are secured to sheavel 6. Sheave 33 is provided with an operating knob 41 and has an indexing member or finger 42 thereon which is adapted to sweep over a scale 43 depicted on the casing 25, which scale corresponds preferably to the scale y on the dial 2v of the radio receiver.

, To install the novel remote control device of the present invention, it is merely necessary yto remove the yordinary tuning knob from thel condenser yshaft vl0` and to replace the same by the knob 8 and collar 12 of the present apparatus, after which the device is ready for use. In installing the casing 4 upon the condenser shaft 10, the tuning dial 2 of theradio set is initially set so as to correspond with the position of the indexing member 42 on the scale 43.

In use, when it is desired to adjust the setting of the dial 2 ofthe radio receiver, it is vmerely necessary to turn the knob 41 at the remote point of'control as illustrated in Fig. l, whereupon driving tension is created in one or the other of the 4cables A14 and 15, dependingl in which direction the Vknob 41 is turned, resulting in the corresponding turning of sheave 6 at the radio receiver. The turning of knob 41 causes one of the cables 14 or 15 to be wound upon the sheave 33 while the other of these cables is simultaneously unwound from this sheave and a corresponding action takes place at the sheave 6, thereby eiecting the desired turning of the condenser shaft 10. The cable ywhich is being uwound upon the sheave 33at any time is the motivating cable at thattime. and

transmits its driving force by pure tension, thereby eliminating cable distortion or-kinking which `is apt to occur ininstallations where the' cable is used to transmit torque-or' compressive forces.

Since cables are designed primarily to transmit tensile stresses and as the cables'14 and 15 used in the device of the present kinvention transmit only tensile stresses,1 the present devicehas an exceedinglylong life in use. Owing tothe simplicityof the device of thepresent invention, the saineis easily and cheaply manufactured andmay beused for long periods without the necessity of repairs or adjustments.

In Fig. 6 thenovel-remote .control device of the present inventionf'isfillustrated 'as employed for operating the damper'49 of a furnace 50. In this 4application of the invention, the casing 4 is f mounted-on the damperv shaft whilev the. casing l l25 isconveniently "located, ,as for example, upon the; Wall 51of the 'room' above the furnace 50, the knob 41 projecting outwardly from the Wall for easy manipulationn .The operation of thev device Aas thus `applied is much the same as when used for operating va radio receiver, .the tension in cables 14 and 15. serving to turn the damper 49 `fromthe knob 4l.

v'It will beapparent that the provision of knob out interference from the remote'control device of this invention, thev sheaves of .Whichdeviceturn idly when knob 8 is turned, as by the user standing at the radio receiver. f

`As many changes'could'be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made Without departing from the .scope thereof, as dened by the'following claim, it is intended-that all matter contained in theY abovey descriptionor shown in the accompanying drawing vshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a Vlimiting; sense. i

What is claimed is: i f

In a remotei control device adaptedffortur'ning the operating shafts of radio receiving sets from a remote point of control, a casing arranged to be sliduponand ,suspended from the operating shaft ofthe Vradio set .to be controlled, a Sheave turnably mounted within said casing, a yknob fixed on the operating shaft of the radio set, said knob having a hub secured to'said sheave, a second casing adapted to be located at the remote point of control, a Sheave turnable Within said second casing, said second-'casing having a scale depicted iso fioo' .e r Je) rst casing through said cable conduit to said second casing wherein said cables are Wrapped in opposite directions about said last named sheave and spring means Within said second casing and acting upon said cable conduit for causing said cables to be taut Within said cable conduit.

IRVING BALL. 

